The Richest Footballers in the Premier League [GIF]

The Sunday Times newspaper will publish their list of the richest Premier League players tomorrow, but here’s a sneak peek.

Manchester United playmaker Wayne Rooney tops the list with an estimated wealth of £45 million in the year 2012. He’s joined in the top 10 by fellow United teammates Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs.

Surprisingly, Michael Owen is third on the list, which just goes to show how much of a disappointment he’s been for Stoke City and how the club could have achieved more if they had signed someone who wasn’t on the knacker’s yard.

A few other surprises on the list include Fulham’s Damien Duff (what has he done lately?), Ji-Sung Park (who has been such a disappointment at QPR) and Joe Cole (who has been improving, but shouldn’t be in the top 10).

About The Author

Publisher of World Soccer Talk, Christopher Harris founded the site in 2005. He has been interviewed by The New York Times, The Guardian and several other publications. Plus he has made appearances on NPR, BBC World, CBC, BBC Five Live, talkSPORT and beIN SPORT.
Harris, who was born and raised in Wales, has lived in Florida since 1984, and supported Swansea City since 1979. Last but not least, he got engaged during half-time of a MLS game.

14 Comments

Brn442April 27, 2013

“Surprisingly, Michael Owen is on the list, which goes to show, how much of a disappointment he’s been for Stoke City”

I’m confused, I not sure what Owen’s stint at Stoke has to do with his overall net worth, which I thought this list was about.

I though Giggs’s net worth looked relatively low, considering he’s been at Manchester United since Thatcher was prime minister but unlike Owen, he never got a Bosman type, Madrid stamped, free agent signing bonus.

£860,000 basic pay for Owen this season. Keeping Fuller to bring off the bench in the last 30 minutes would have been more cost effective and satisfied the fans. It’s a joke to say he’s ever played for Stoke. Pulis has always wasted one squad place per season on somebody with a big wage who he hardly plays.

It always strikes me how EPL players don’t quite make as much money as players in the NBA, NFL, MLB. You’d think that given the greater global reach of the EPL, that they’d make more….but it doesn’t work out that way.

Dean, it is complicated but first off, NFL players on average relatively don’t make that much, plus more than not – outside of marquee players, the money isn’t guaranteed.

MLB teams play over a 150 games a season, the NBA averages about 80 – both excluding play-offs. A top soccer club, with cups and Europe, perhaps top out around competitively – 60 matches?

But most importantly, soccer – even with all TV money, is not a sport that lends itself to TV friendly commercial breaks, the way American sports do. If it did, the $$$ footballers would indeed be making will lot closer to their American colleagues.

A lot of this is endorsement money. Owen, while not performing on the pitch, has always been a great public face for a brand. Like Beckham never made the lion share of his wealth from playing football.

Though individually top footballers don’t earn as much as other sports, as teams they tend to earn to earn more on average. Also considering that most teams have over 30 players on their books, if you look at the sports teams as a whole they’re paid a massive amount.

Confused. This is net worth?? What would net worth have to do with a player’s current performance? Also, the numbers seem low? Toure makes $300k £ a week so one would think he would have amassed $10mm over 6-8 years

When Brian Marwood was asked about Toure’s wage he said it would only be approaching even near £200k per week if City won everything so clearly he isn’t near that amount as those bonuses would come to about £4m in the year. The press just don’t have a clue a even after they said he was on £200k per week they changed it to £250 be pending which source. Using sense it would seem Yaya basic is around £120k and then would explain why his raises by £5m only in the year. But what would I know? And Marwood’s not truthful like the trusty British press eh?